


Silver and Gold

by MyMuseHatesMe



Series: Welcome to the Fairy Tale [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Anxiety, Multi, Overprotectiveness, PTSD, Sarcasm, Trust Issues, Yelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24004252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyMuseHatesMe/pseuds/MyMuseHatesMe
Summary: Your younger brother comes home one day with a golden goose and raving about a castle in the sky.  Leaving him with your mother, you climb the beanstalk to return the stolen property only to find that he wasn’t lying about anything.  [Gender neutral reader.]
Relationships: Balthazar/You, Balthazar/reader, Gabriel/Reader, Gabriel/You
Series: Welcome to the Fairy Tale [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533695
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes your fears can be conquered.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which your day does not go according to plan and a beanstalk is climbed.

Your younger brother Jack told you about a castle in the sky. You hadn’t believed him until he showed you the goose that he had stolen. Your mother had fainted when it laid a solid gold egg.

Grabbing him by the back of his collar, you demanded to know where he had gone. Frightened, he took you a short distance into the forest and showed you the impossibly thick, the impossibly tall beanstalk. It stretched up into the sky, beyond the clouds, and it made you sick - thinking of little Jack climbing up there, all the way - what if he had slipped? Lost his footing and fallen; fallen all the way down, ker _splat_.

You closed your eyes against the image and gritted your teeth at the thought that your little brother could have died and you wouldn’t have known. You didn’t even like him climbing trees or walking into town by himself - and your poor mother was frail and perpetually tired, so your word was law.

A tugging at your sleeve roused you from your morbid musings. “There’s more up there, too. A whole room full of treasure! Chests of diamonds, a spinning wheel that turns straw into silver, a golden harp-”

“All right, enough,” you snapped, pulling him to your chest and holding him tightly, “Don’t you ever climb this thing again, you hear me? Never.”

His face fell and your heart splintered. “But I-”

“ _No_ , Jack. No. You stole something. I’m going to take that magic goose back up there, and when I come back, you and I are chopping this down.” If there was a castle, there were inhabitants. If there were inhabitants, the goose was a possession. If a possession had been stolen, the owner would come looking for the thief, and the thief was your brother, and you had to protect your little brown-haired, innocent brother- 

You were afraid. Confrontation was not something you had the stomach for. Maybe you’d just leave the goose at the front door and run. Yes, that was a good plan.

Releasing him, you held his shoulders and made him look at you. “You go back to the house. Watch over mom til I get back. Got it?”

He understood how serious you were. He swallowed, then nodded.

You got the goose, left your still-unconscious mother in the hands of your brother, and began climbing the stalk.

* * *

Climbing wasn’t too difficult. There were deep gouges in the skin of the plant, having cracked from the sudden and enormous growth that the plant hadn’t been prepared for. All you had to do was not look down.

Not look down and imagine falling to your death. Falling and falling and _falling_ -

You kept climbing. You climbed up to the clouds, through them, and finally above them, never once looking down. A strange stone platform came into view - like a floating island.

When you reached the strange island and stepped off the beanstalk and onto solid ground, you realized your brother wasn’t joking about the castle. He had simply neglected to say that it was freaking enormous. Built for a giant. But giants didn’t exist.

Walking up to the front door, which was slightly ajar, you pulled the goose from the sling on your back and carried it as you stepped through the space and into the halls. You walked for a short while and then set the goose down.

It squawked. Looked around. Squawked again. Then waddled away.

“Yeah, keep walkin’, mister,” you muttered, turning on your heel and plowing straight into a person.

Hands on your shoulders to steady you. “Oh! How did you get in here?” A light, accented voice.

You looked up and were met with an odd sight. The man had blue-gray eyes, scruffy blond hair, and wore a gray tunic that reminded you of a Grecian style. He was even wearing sandals that fit his Greek theme.

“How did you get in here? Nevermind, that’s not important right now,” he gushed, taking your hand and leading you deeper into the castle, “He’ll be back soon and trust me, you don’t want him finding you here. Are you the sibling of that little brown-haired boy that was here yesterday? Said his name was Jack.”

This was happening too fast and your head was spinning. “Wait, wait. You met my brother?”

“Of course I did! I showed him how to play my golden harp for a bit, then I sent him off.” His voice echoed slightly as you both passed under a huge side table.

“Wait,” you looked the strange man up and down, “you… you’re the harp? The golden harp? That’s you?”

The man half-turned back to you and gestured vaguely, “Well, harpist, rather than harp, but sure! Golden harp works.”

“Eh, no. What- what’s your name?”

“Ah,” he peeked around a corner and made sure the coast was clear, “Balthazar. My name is Balthazar. Yours?”

“Y/N.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance. Now, shall we make our daring escape?”

Your brain screeched to a halt. “Wha- escape?”

“Yes.” He glanced at you and then did a double-take, his expression going slack - it was hurt and open. “You… you _are_ planning on taking me with you, yes?” His fingers tightened slightly, perhaps involuntarily.

“I- I guess?”

“Lovely,” his seemingly ever-present smile re-emerged and he continued leading you deeper into the castle, “Let’s go.”

Something heavy, far away, slammed and sent shudders through the castle. Balthazar froze and held his breath. You followed his example. There was silence for a stretch of time.

“FEE.”

Your head snapped up.

“FI.”

The deep voice rattled in your lungs and set your nerves thrumming.

“FO.”

You squeezed Balthazar’s wrist.

“FUM.”

“And that’s our cue to leave. Come along,” the harpist declared, breaking into a run and dragging you along.

“I SMELL THE BLOOD OF AN ENGLISHMAN.”

Breathless, you asked, “Is he for real right now?”

“BE HE ALIVE OR BE HE DEAD…”

“Unfortunately, yes,” he replied over his shoulder, “He does this every time there’s been a break-in.”

“I’LL GRIND HIS BONES TO MAKE MY BREAD.”

That made your hair stand on end. “Break-ins? Does that happen often?”

He rounded a corner quickly and you careened slightly at the sudden change in trajectory. “More often than you’d think, love. And, uh, he’s not kidding by the way. About the food.”

Shit. Shit shit shit shitshit _shit_. You were going to die. You were going to die and neither your little brother nor your poor mother would ever know.

Balthazar pulled you along behind him, fleeing from the giant. He stopped short at a huge window and you nearly crashed into him and sent the two of you falling into the world below.

Except there was no world. The ledge _was_ the edge of the giant’s world. Wind whistled gently and made you more acutely aware of how close you were to falling, falling, _falling_ -

“Ah,” he mused, looking around for any other possible means of escape. The giant’s thunderous muttering and deafening threats echoed through the halls, the stones shook as he approached. Balthazar turned to you and placed both hands on your shoulders. “Well, darling, looks like we only have one option open to us.”

You looked out the window and blinked a few times before understanding what he meant. Your eyes widened and you gripped his wrists as tight as you could. “No. Balthazar, _no_ ,” you argued in a forced calm, shaking your head vigorously, “We will die. We will fall and _die_!” The puffy clouds looked deceptively calm as they gently floated over the endless blue of the ocean far, far below you.

He shook his head dismissively. “No, no, no, it’ll be fine, trust me.”

The stones beneath your feet shuddered as the giant advanced. “I cannot express how much _I do not trust you_ , Balthazar!”

Balthazar paused and looked at you oddly. He placed a hand over his heart in an offended gesture. “That hurts me, Y/N,” he said lightly, making you wonder if he was, in fact, hurt at all, “Truly.”

And then he leaned back to fall out the window, tipping you over the edge with him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which trust is important.

You didn’t know it was possible to scream as loud as you did, the wind whipping around your face and your hands around Balthazar’s throat. You were trying your best to choke him, but since you were _falling to your death_ with no solid ground beneath the two of you, you just squeezed.

His face was turning a lovely ripe tomato shade when he finally loosened your grip and holding your hands between his so you couldn’t hurt him anymore. “Now, Y/N, I need you to listen-”

“YOU SON OF A BITCH,” you shrieked in his ear, hoping you’d damage his hearing a bit, “YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD, YOU’VE KILLED US!”

“Darling, please-”

“DON’T YOU ‘ _DARLING_ ’ ME!”

“I couldn’t leave the premises unless I had someone with me! You saved me! I could have kissed you, I was so happy!”

“DON’T YOU DARE!” Gravity was a bitch. A cruel, heartless bitch.

“‘ _Could have_ ’! I said, ‘ _could_ have’!”

“SCREW YOU! WE ARE _FALLING_ INTO OBLIVION!” The inevitable _kersplat_ was waiting for you. Properly, this time.

You fell through the clouds and you saw the glittering gold of the blue ocean stretching out below you.

You were going to miss your family when you were dead. You couldn’t remember what the last thing you said to your mother was. “Stay here and take care of mom,” were the last words your brother heard you say.

Balthazar turned you around, and held you close, wrapping his arms around your waist. You couldn’t see anything beyond receding clouds. “It’s going to be all right, trust me. Trust me. Please, just trust me.”

It was hard to trust people. Even harder when the person asking to be trusted was the same person that pulled you out of a window and now you were falling, falling, _falling_ -

Trust. His dying wish was for you to trust him. All right. You could do that. “Okay,” you whispered, closing your eyes, “I trust you.”

You didn’t know if he heard you, but he must have felt you relax a bit. He was muttering something. Words.

It was okay. You trusted him.

_Kerspla-_

* * *

An arm around your neck, keeping your face above water. _“HEY!”_ Water, water everywhere - _“No, go away!”_ \- lapping at your face - _“Do your worst, then.”_ \- and not a drop to drink.

As soon as you became aware that Balthazar was the one speaking, you gasped awake and flailed in the water.

“Calm down! Love, please calm down, I’ve got you,” he soothed. He was putting up a good front, but you could hear the panic in his voice. He was scared, too.

“I can swim,” you offered, once you had your bearings and began treading water, “I can swim.” Wow, you were terrified. You hadn’t been this terrified since… well, since you realized Balthazar was pulling you out the window and couldn’t do anything to stop him.

He let go of you and you put some space between the two of you. “There’s a ship,” he said, trying to ease the tension, “I know it’s a ways out, but I’ve been yelling at it.”

The arm around your neck that was keeping your head above water pulled away and you looked around. You saw the ship that Balthazar was talking about, but you couldn’t tell if it was headed your way or not. If you stretched out your arm, you could barely cover the ship with your finger. The spark of hope you had was extinguished when you had a dreadful thought, and you asked, “What happens if they don’t spot us?”

Balthazar looked at you, breathing a little heavy. For a moment, you thought you saw him see his life flash before his eyes - he knew the answer as well as you did. Then he smiled, caught your chin with his fingers, and said, “Chin up, darling. They saw us fall. I made sure of it.”

“Then why were you yelling?”

His smile faltered, but he secured it before it slipped too far. “I like to stay busy.”

After a few hours, it was definitely closer, but still far enough away that you worried the sun setting before you were rescued. In those hours, Balthazar managed to make you more paranoid about the things lurking in the ocean depths than you had been before.

“Did you know,” he began, directly after recollecting his encounter with a siren, “that sirens are different than merfolk?”

You shook your head. This was the only source of entertainment and you didn’t want it to stop. Balthazar had a lot of stories and you had a feeling he was trying to distract himself, as well as you.

“It was once thought they were, in fact, the same species, but we came to find out they are cousins of a sort,” he continued, “Sirens are base – they sing to lure their prey into treacherous waters and then eat them. They can shift their scales to legs and walk amongst humanity, but they only do that in rainy or foggy weather.”

“Why?”

“Well, they can’t speak, you see. They can sing, but that’s it. That’s really what drives a siren, is food.”

“Huh.” Assuming this was all correct, of course, and he wasn’t just pulling crap out of the air.

“A mer is a little different. They can’t shift on command, but they do sing and speak. They’re also a bit like dragons.”

That caught you off-guard. “What? What do you mean ‘like dragons’?”

“Oh, er,” he stalled, realizing a bit too late that he may have opened a door he wasn’t prepared to deal with, “they like pretty, shiny things. Jewels, broken glass, mirrors, pearls, rings… they can’t help themselves.”

The way he finished that sentence made you narrow your eyes at him. He was leaving something out on purpose. Maybe he didn’t want to scare you? “All right,” you conceded, not missing how he relaxed when you ceded to his point, “What else about mer?”

“They can. Cause storms.” He spoke haltingly, a sharp change from his earlier endless spouting of knowledge (or bullshittery, you’d have to wait and see). “And they can wield magic, too - that’s how _they_ can get legs and walk amongst people. Drawback is, they can’t stay out of ocean water for too long, or else they’ll dry up and die. I’ve seen that happen, too.”

You blinked and studied him. He looked a little sad at admitting he’d watched a mer die. “Did they suffer?”

He clenched his jaw and looked away. “Terribly.”

“The mer was your friend.”

“Yes,” he turned his head slightly and you saw that he had closed his eyes, “Yes, she was. She taught me everything I know – magic in particular.”

You stayed quiet for a moment, allowing a bit of silence out of respect for the deceased. “I’m sorry.”

He took in a deep breath and his sadness was gone. “Yes, well,” he turned back to you and smiled - though not as carefree as you knew it could be, “it was decades ago.”

“Doesn’t mean it has to hurt any less.”

Balthazar regarded you in a neutral manner, perhaps readjusting some of his assumptions about you. “Thank you,” he said at last.

You smiled in confusion. “Thanks for what?”

“For trusting me.”

You wondered how many people had hurt him in such a way that he felt the need to thank you for trusting him.

Then the shadow of the ship fell over the two of you and you were pulled from the water shortly after.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which mythical creatures are, indeed, real.

The remainder of the day (after you and Balthazar recuperated from playing the part of drowned rats) was filled with regaling the captain and first mate with why you two were in ‘the smack-dab middle of the fricken’ ocean’ - in the captain’s words.

You were confused because all you had done was climb a beanstalk and fall out a window to get to the ocean, whereas at home, the ocean was several hundred miles away.

Balthazar did his best to craft a story true enough to what actually happened that you could patch it up in places when you were singled out and asked what happened next. He left out some parts and embellished others, but in the end, you were surprised with what he had done.

The first mate and captain seemed satisfied. They gave you some rules and expectations, set aside a few bunks for you so you wouldn’t be separated, and then let you explore the ship. 

Before exiting the captain’s quarters, Balthazar turned and asked how long it would be until they reached shore. The captain estimated that it would be at least five days. Balthazar frowned, but nodded and followed the first mate out.

It was odd, you thought as you stood next to Balthazar and watched the sun set, he seemed to be on edge. He gripped the sides of the ship so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

“You all right?”

He nodded and replied, “Never been fond of the sea.”

It was a deflection and you knew it. He was hiding something, something he didn’t feel you needed to know or maybe it was something he wasn’t sure about. You scooted closer to him and bumped his shoulder gently. "I’m, uh. Sorry I yelled at you. And- and choked you. You saved my life and you’ve been strong for me, so."

He was quiet for a moment. “Thank you, and I also don’t blame you for how you reacted. I don’t know why I expected you to be all right with falling out of a window.”

You laughed and he did, too.

You were going to be all right.

But as you settled in for the night, you couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t because you were unused to the continuous swaying of the vessel or the sounds of the sleeping sailors around you… it was an anxious feeling. Like a sword was tied above your head by a thread and you had no idea when the thread was going to break.

Something terrible was going to happen. You just didn’t know when.

The second night, you thought you heard knocking. But that was impossible – if there was someone knocking on the ship’s hull, they would have to be an excellent swimmer and very strong.

“Red sky at night, a sailor’s delight,” Balthazar crowed, pointing to the brilliantly red sunset, “Red in the morning, sailors take warning.” He played a harp for the crew that he pulled from thin air, it seemed.

The third night, there was a green flash on the horizon and Balthazar paled. That morning, the sunrise was blood-red. By midday, the entire sky was dark; and by evening, it began raining.

The fourth day, the rain hadn’t let up, and it graduated to a maelstrom by the evening. Six crewmembers were swept overboard.

On the fifth day, you all cast lots to see who was responsible for the storm. You and Balthazar lost, and were sent up to the deck while the remaining crew stayed safely below.

As soon as the doors closed behind you, leaving you out in the open with the pelting rain, Balthazar ran to get some rope. He hurriedly began tying the rope around your waist and then to the mast.

The wind whipped your clothes and stole your voice as you shouted, “Balthazar? What is it?” Rain dripped through your hair and stung your eyes.

“You, uh, remember how I said that the mer are a bit like dragons?” He yelled back, tying another rope around himself.

Strange music floated over the wind. Then a voice began to sing. Not words, but… not _not_ words, either. A language you didn’t know. A language older than the ocean.

His hands shook as he tied his tether to the mast, as well. “You’ve heard the stories about a dragon sometimes carrying off a person, yes?” His tone took on a panicked note as he reached for you and pulled you up against him.

“Those are just stories,” you answered back, suddenly doubting every logical thought you’d ever had about mythical creatures. Dread settled into your stomach.

“Not stories, darling,” he said, backing up against a set of locked doors, “They’re real. I’ve seen it happen.”

Lightning lit everything up, and thunder deafened you a moment later.

“When we first landed in the ocean, one came up to us.”

Another melodic voice joined the first and was soon followed by a third. Your hair stood on end as you held on to Balthazar.

“You were out cold and he tried to take you, but I wouldn’t let him.”

You gasped and shuddered. You always thought that drowning was one of the worst possible ways to die. Right after falling, of course. “Why? What did you do?” Your voice was high and light.

“I told him he couldn’t have you.” You sagged against him at that confession. “But he said he’d come back – and when he did, he’d bring a storm with him.”

That would explain a lot. “Why didn’t he want you?”

“I’m protected, darling,” he explained sadly, as though he wished you were the one with the protection and not him, “They couldn’t touch me.”

The rain poured in torrential sheets and plastered your clothes to your skin. You couldn’t even hear your own thoughts.

Wood groaned as the ship tilted. You let go of each other to recover your own balances. But you over compensated, stumbling backwards and hitting the rail. The rope holding you to the mast went taught and you held on to it.

Then it went slack. You didn’t even have time to gasp as your body was flung over the side. Wind whipped in your ears. The ship was getting smaller as it tilted away. You were falling again.

 _Kersplat._ No, not a _kersplat_ this time.

_Kersplash._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you meet a new friend.

Air. Air, not water surrounding you. Dry sand at your back, drying on your wet skin; not floating weightless in an endless blue.

Distantly aware you weren’t breathing.

Your mouth was open slightly and cool lips pressed against yours. Something strange touched the tip of your tongue and electricity lit up your insides.

Your eyes shot open and the person pulled away, pushing your head to the side and pressing down on your abdomen to make you breathe out. Heaving up all the water in your lungs, you heard a male voice gently tell you, “That’s it, get it all out. It’s okay, you’re okay.”

Coughing up the last bits of water, you curled in on yourself and held your hands to your chest as you trembled. A cool hand ran up and down your back in a soothing motion. It felt nice and you didn’t want it to stop. You didn’t want to open your eyes and accept the past week had truly happened.

Water in your lungs. You remembered drowning. Shining eyes in the darkness as cold hands pulled you down, down, down-

If you kept your eyes shut, you could pretend you were asleep in your bed high an insanely high fever and that hand at your back was your mother trying to make you feel better.

“It’s gone now,” the strange voice said.

“You sure?” Balthazar.

“Yep! Lungs are able to breathe air now instead of water,” the stranger chirped.

A sigh from Balthazar. “Thank you,” he replied softly.

Exhaustion seeped into your bones and you drifted off.

* * *

When you came to, everything hurt. You groaned, shifting against the sandy surface you were lying against-

Your eyes shot open and you sat bolt upright. It was dark, a sliver was left of the moon, the waves lapped against the shore, and the stars twinkled kindly from the heavens. Not taking your eyes off the sky, you got to your feet and smiled widely. Then you burst out laughing.

You were alive!

Your laughter cut off short and your smile dropped. Wait. Where was Balthazar?

Spinning around, you took in your surroundings. It was an island - fairly large with a small forest. The air was warm and the sounds of the ocean calmed you.

“He almost died, you know,” a voice said, startling you. You spun around and looked for the source. “Down here,” the voice offered.

You looked down and saw a man half-submerged in the water. He snapped his fingers and fireflies started blinking, giving some light for you to see.

He wasn’t wearing a shirt. He had kindly golden eyes, slicked-back hair, and a tail. When he smiled, you saw his mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth.

You gasped and scrambled backwards.

He laughed slightly, as though he was expecting your reaction. “He said you might be jumpy - what with everything that’s happened to you,” he offered in a soothing voice, careful to cover his teeth with his lips, “Balthazar will be back shortly,” he waved a hand in a dismissive manner, “It’s all right, you’re safe now.”

You blinked as you remembered how Balthazar was talking to the stranger. “You, uh,” you stammered, “and Balthazar, you. You’re friends? Know each other?”

“P _ ff _ fft,” he rolled eyes dramatically and chuckled, “Friends? Was that what he told you?”

“Sir,” your voice was clipped and thin, “Literally all I know about him is that he plays the harp, was willing to jump out a window to be free of a curse, and knows how to engage with mythical creatures.”

The man blinked at you a few times, his face carefully calm as he took in your words. “Oh, wow,” he breathed, “You have no idea what’s going on, do you?”

Anger sparked and flared in your chest, forcing you to take in a deep breath to make the red in your vision go away. “Yes. I mean no.  _ No _ , I don’t know what’s going on. Look, a few minutes after meeting him, he pulled me out of a window. A window… of a castle in the  _ sky _ ! When I was falling through the sky, I had to accept that I was going to  _ die _ without having my last words to my living family members being, ‘I love you.’ That was my first day with him. The second through the fifth was on a ship. Which we got thrown of off. And I almost drowned and he almost died, so.”

He was silent. Quietly studying you. Then he reached out to you, extending his hand, “My name’s Gabe.”

You hesitated a moment before moving toward him, getting to your knees and sitting on your heels as you took his hand. “I’m Y/N.”

He smiled widely and crowed, “Well, it’s nice to meet ya!” He shook your hand enthusiastically and chattered on, “I gotta say, I haven’t met anybody new in a while and sailors aren’t that keen on starting a conversation with a mer, so you’re a most welcome change!”

Footsteps approached and you turned to find Balthazar walking toward you. “Ah. Y/N, this is Gabe; Gabe, Y/N. I mean, I trust you’ve already introduced yourselves, but you know. Just being thorough.”

Gabe waved a hand at him. “Cover all your bases, Balthy,” he said jovially, beaming a close-lipped smile at the blond, “That’s what I taught you, after all.”

“Yes. Yes, you did.”

“How,” you asked slowly, looking between the two of them, “do you know each other?”

“Long story. Involves a few curses,” Gabe offered, giving you a look, “My curse, to be precise; and it can only be broken by a kiss.” His expression turned slightly smug.

You blinked at him. “Uhmm, okay?”

He pushed himself on his elbows, moving his head closer to yours. “C’mere,” he nodded, tapping his cheek twice with the tip of his index finger, “Give me one. See if it works.”

You hesitated. Then, seeing no reason not to, you leaned forward and planted a kiss on his damp cheek. When you pulled back, his eyes were closed and he had a ridiculous smile on his face. He opened his eyes and looked down, his smile only dropping slightly.

“Huh. I guess that didn’t work. How about we try on the lips this time?”

You blinked again. While you weren’t  _ opposed _ to doing that, per se, you’d never had someone just… up and say, ‘Kiss me, please.’

A hand clapped on your shoulder. “Gabe, that’s enough, you’ve had your fun. Come along now, Y/N.”

Gabriel stuck his tongue out. “Spoilsport.” He pushed himself back further into the water and away from shore. “Get some rest. I’ll get something to help you out. Leave it to me!” He winked at you again and then dipped beneath the waves.

Balthazar sighed and helped you to stand. “Come,” he said gently, “We’d best do as he suggests.”

You followed him to a stone-ringed campfire that had two piles of leaves on either side of it. You asked in disbelief, “Did you put this together while I was out?”

“Of course I did,” he said, lying down on his makeshift bed, “What did you think I was doing?”

You shrugged and laid down on your back on the empty one. Crossing your arms over your stomach, you looked up at the stars and listened to the crackling flames. “Hey, Balthazar?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you going to tell me about how you and Gabe know each other? And pretty much… everything involved with how we ended up here?” There was too much you didn’t know.

What curse was Gabe talking about? How did Balthazar end up saving you AGAIN? How did you both get to this island? What curse kept Balthazar in the giant’s castle in the first place?

He sighed softly. “If you wish.”

You laughed slightly. “Thank you,” you said, relaxing into the leaves.

“You’re welcome. Now, get some rest. You’re going to need it.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the giant remembers you.

Three days later, you and Balthazar were walking up to your farmhouse. “I’m gonna miss him,” you sighed fondly, “Him and his golden-green scales and his sass.” You shook your head to clear the thoughts. “Now, please remember,” you reminded Balthazar gently, “Mind your manners. My mother doesn’t like sass or snark.”

“Ah, that pains my soul,” Balthazar complained, placing a hand over his heart.

“Oh!” You teased wickedly, “So the great Balthazar has a soul, after all!”

As soon as you stepped foot onto your property, the front door of the house flung open and your brother rushed out toward you, calling your name in a panicked relief. Jack threw himself at you, practically sobbing, “You were gone for so long!” He cried, grasping your shoulders and clutching the fabric, “Mom asked where you were and I didn’t know and she was so sad and I couldn’t do anything to make her happy! I thought you were dead!”

You rubbed his shoulders sympathetically and glanced up at Balthazar, who was politely keeping himself occupied with the calico cat currently winding herself around his ankles. “Yeah… yeah, I accidentally went on a little bit of an adventure, Jack! You want to know what happened?”

He sniffed and nodded into your neck.

Clearing your throat, you began in your best storyteller voice, “I found the golden harpist you were talking about, we got chased by the giant in the castle, and then we fell out of a window! Then we landed in the ocean and were rescued by sailors – but they got scared when the mer stirred the sky to make a storm, and they made us stay out on deck while the crew stayed safely below!”

A horrified expression took hold of your little brother’s face. He couldn’t believe that the sailors had done that to you.

“I lost my balance in the rain and got tossed overboard, but Balthazar saved me,” you continued, gently gesturing to your friend, who waved at Jack, “And then I met a really nice mer who saved us both and got a new ship to take us to land!”

Jack perked up and pulled away slightly, just enough to look you in the eyes. Confusion reigned as he asked, “A mer?”

You smiled and nodded. “And he asked me to kiss him, too!” The memory of Gabe’s smile and, ‘How about we try on the lips this time,’ made you smile even wider. You hoped you would see him again.

Jack smiled and wrinkled his nose, showing his teeth. He was somehow disgusted and yet fascinated. “Did he smell like a fish?”

You laughed heartily and answered, “No. No, he didn’t, Jack.”

He gave a short laugh before he stepped away and pulled on your hands. “Come on,” he urged, his sunshine smile nearly blinding you, “Mom will be so happy to see you!”

Balthazar made an insulted noise and trailed after you. “I suppose I’ll have to invite myself in, then, eh?”

Before he could follow you, there was a terrible cracking sound. The three of you stilled immediately.

Dread pooled in your stomach as tremors shook the ground and you prayed that you were wrong.

It would not be hard to imagine what a giant on a rampage would look like, sound like, or even smell like. But to actually experience it was another thing entirely.

The ground shook violently as a great foot landed on the earth. Birds shrieked and scattered through the sky as a terrible _boom_ ing followed the quake. A few breathless moments as Balthazar, Jack, and you glanced at each other as if to ask, ‘What in the Hell?!’ before the ground shook again - closer, this time.

Another footstep. Closer.

Jack was terrified. He clung to you as though you could save him, and you pushed him behind you and stood tall as if you were able to do so. He was your little brother, after all.

And then there was Balthazar. He practically threw himself over your shoulders, holding you and Jack tightly. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry,” he cried, as trees cracked and toppled to the ground, “I shouldn’t have pulled you out the window,” the giant approached, his expression stony and angry, “I shouldn’t have bargained with the mer,” thunderous quaking made the air in your lungs shake, “I shouldn’t have involved Gabe,” the giant was only about ten steps away now, “I shouldn’t have joined you, I’m sorry!”

Your face twisted in confusion and slight disgust. Balthazar? Begging for forgiveness? It wasn’t the end of the world yet. “Oh, stand up, Balthy,” you chastised as the giant took three steps, “You saved my life more times than I can count.” Two more steps. “Besides,” another step, “I never accept apologies when they’re under duress.”

Balthazar withdrew quickly. Without looking, you know he looked astonished and appalled. “Duress? _Duress_??” Two steps. The tallest tree came up to the giant’s midsection.

“Yes, duress,” you said firmly, taking a step forward to meet the giant, “it means any action that forces someone to do anything against their will or better judgment.” Two steps. The giant broke through the tree line and uprooted trees were tossed forward with the momentum of the giant’s movement.

“I know what ‘duress’ means,” Balthazar insisted, slightly offended, as the giant slowed his pace, “I just- oh, nevermind....”

The giant stopped and you continued to walk toward him, your pulse pounding in your ears and your limbs felt weightless as blood pulsed through your body much faster than it had in a long time. You could do this. You were strong. You had done so many new things and seen so many strange sights and you could not be any happier with what you had learned in the past two weeks.

The giant may very well kill you. But your family was behind you and you would not stand down from this.

You stopped when you were about halfway between the giant and your family. The air was colder in the enormous shadow, and you were grateful for the lack of sun currently blinding you. Looking up at the terribly frightening creature before you, you extended an arm and waved very deliberately. “Hello,” you called up from the ground, “How can I help you this fine day?”

For a long moment, the giant did not respond. He simply stood there, seething and scheming. Then, in a voice so deep, you swore you heard the windows of the house shatter he said, “YOU ARE THE THIEF THAT STOLE INTO MY HOME.”

Well. There it was.

You took in a breath. “Good sir-”

“MY NAME IS GORDON.”

 _‘I don’t care,’_ you thought icily, but corrected yourself regardless. “Gordon. I apologize for any and all transgressions against you and your house. My brother is young and curious and I refused to let him return your goose to you, so I did. While I was there-”

“YOU STOLE MY HARPIST!”

You flinched as his ear-splitting voice rattled in your chest and hurt your head. “With all due respect,” you began, slightly cowed by his display, “he wanted to leave. If he had wanted to stay with you, he would have! Instead, he got me out of your house and-”

“I KNOW WHAT HE’S DONE AND IT MEANS NOTHING. HE BELONGS TO ME.”

You bristled and took in a deep breath. This must be the thing that Balthazar had been avoiding talking to you about. Wonderful. Indentured to a giant.

“I don’t want to go back!” Balthazar’s voice was faint.

“What, uh,” you asked loudly, “What do you want?”

“I WANT MY HARPIST BACK.”

You frowned and quirked an eyebrow. “Buuuut, he’s a person? And I already returned the golden egg-laying goose?”

“I WANT. MY HARPIST. BACK.”

“Hey! Tell him I’m not going back there with him!” Balthazar’s voice carried thinly through the air.

Tossing a glare over your shoulder, you screamed, “Do you _want_ to die right now?!”

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Balthazar called back, “Not particularly!”

You almost heaved a sigh in exasperation. You knew he didn’t want to go back to the castle, he jumped out a window to get away! You knew what you were doing, he just needed to leave you to it. So you shouted back, “Then shut the hell up!”

Jack’s jaw dropped and he gaped at you. He had not heard many curse words fall from your mouth.

Oh, shit. “Uh, I mean - be quiet and let me deal with this!” Yeah, much better.

Balthazar rolled his eyes. Even at that distance, you could tell when he was rolling his eyes. Over a week with the man and you knew enough about him to know when he was rolling his eyes.

Turning back to the giant, you sighed and said, “Look. Balthazar doesn’t want to go back with you and frankly, I don’t blame him.”

The giant’s face soured and his upper lip curled back to reveal his enormous, chipped teeth. “VERY WELL. YOU SHALL DIE. AND I WILL RECLAIM MY HARPIST.”

“Uh, no! No, thank you! I do not want that, thank you very much,” Balthazar cried out. You heard the panic in his voice.

You ignored him and continued to address Gordon. “What- what do you want him back for?”

“BY HIS OWN DOING, HE IS BOUND TO ME.”

That was not an answer. “That’s not an answer,” you cried up at him, “I need a real answer! Why is he bound to you?”

“HE PLEDGED A FAVOR TO THE ONE THEY CALL RUMPELSTILTSKIN. AND SO I BOUGHT HIM.”

At the name of the most feared fae in the land, your skin crawled and your spine tingled with the urge to make sure the fae didn’t suddenly appear.

Taking in a breath, you slowly turned to face Balthazar, whose face was pale and ashamed.

This was going to be more difficult than you could have possibly imagined.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which what goes up must come down.

Balthazar. Balthazar owed a favor to Rumpelstiltskin and the giant named Gordon traded the fae something for Balthazar.

Hoo boy.

“Uh… okay, give- give me a second here,” you stalled, trying to wrap your head around the face that your friend had hidden more from you than you possibly could have known  _ combined _ with the fact that you now had to come up with a plan to save everyone.

Save Jack. Save Balthazar. Save your mother. Save the town. Save the world.

Okay, maybe not ‘save the world’, but it sounded good.

“I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS SLIGHT TO PASS.”

You paused. “What slight?”

“YOU ARE DENYING ME THE RIGHT TO MY PROPERTY.”

“People aren’t property!”

“THIS ONE IS.”

Balthazar interrupted, “I’m really not!”

You spun around and screamed at him to shut up. He wasn’t helping the situation, so if he wasn’t assisting, the least he could do was be quiet.

“IF YOU REFUSE TO RETURN MY HARPIST TO ME, I SHALL TAKE HIM BY FORCE.”

Your heart stammered. A threat was no small thing. A threat from a giant, however, was  _ not _ something to trifle with.

You swallowed. Too many lives were on the line. Gordon could simply take a few steps and your entire family would cease to exist. Just like that.

“He is my friend,” you tried.

Gordon’s upper lip curled into a grimace. “SO IT SHALL BE. I WILL RETURN AND RECLAIM MY HARPIST.” Then he turned and headed in the direction he came from.

You stood frozen for a few moments, trying to comprehend what just happened.

Footsteps running toward you. “Y/N! Y/N, this is our chance!” Jack stopped himself from running into you, but held you tightly as he explained, “He’s going back up the beanstalk! That means we can cut it down! While he’s on it!”

You blinked and looked at your brother. His eyes were both calm and alight with manic energy. So pure. So innocent.

You loved your brother too much to let anything happen to him.

You nodded and turned to the barn, “Let’s go, then!” As you raced alongside your brother, you felt immensely drained, but you knew you couldn’t give up now.

The giant began climbing the stalk in the distance.

Saws, blades, axes… Balthazar helped you carry them to the base of the stalk, and by that time, the giant had already gotten halfway up it.

You and Jack began chopping at the trunk like you had been taught to chop trees. Solidly, not rushing. Don’t wear yourself out too soon.

Balthazar had done something to the ax he was using - every strike caused the stalk to blacken and brittle… as though the plant was decaying rapidly.

His magical assistance made chopping easier and you neared the halfway point of the stalk being cut. Sweat poured down your back and face, your breaths were heavy, and your arms had tired a long time ago.

Then the stalk shuddered. The three of you looked up, and through the clouds you could see the faint shape of Gordon beginning his descent.

You began panicking at about the same time Jack started whispering to himself, “Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no-”

“Y/N!” You snapped your attention to Balthazar. His expression was full of resolve and care as he pointed in the direction of your home and ordered, “Take him and run. Go home now! Run!”

The stalk shuddered again.

No time for goodbyes. No time for questions. No time.

You grabbed Jack’s hand and broke into a run.

The sound of Balthazar’s ax hitting the beanstalk gave you a ray of hope, but you had no idea what he was doing.

“Why are we running away from him? We can help!” Jack’s voice was full of hope and worry.

But he didn’t know Balthazar. Balthazar wouldn’t have told you to run unless he had a plan.

A piercing crack split the air. You and Jack stumbled to a halt.

Another crack, louder, this time.

“... NO.” Gordon’s voice. Very distant, but his strong voice was clear. “NO. YOU CANNOT-”

A third crack. You felt the ground quiver under your feet. Instinctively, you pushed Jack to the ground and covered him with your arms.

Turning to look at the stalk, you saw the great black cracks that climbed the greenery like lightning strikes. You saw Gordon trying to scramble back up the stalk, back up to safety, back up to-

The stalk began to fall. It fell so gracefully and beautifully with Gordon crying out as he fell with it. His hands swiped at the space he had just come from.

You watched him fall, counting the seconds. Three, four, five, six… seven-

He disappeared from view and moments later, you felt the earth violently jolt as Gordon hit the ground. Jack tensed beneath you and you held him tighter.

“It’s okay,” you soothed, “It’s okay, it’s all right. I think- I think we’re okay now, I think we’re okay.”

But you didn’t move. You stared through the woods, hoping beyond hope that Gordon WAS dead.

In the few minutes that it took to get to the body, it had not moved. Balthazar caught up to you shortly after you arrived, out of breath and worn out. He had probably taken the time to talk your mother and brother out of hysterics.

Breathlessly, he asked, “How’s… he look?”

You looked up to the head of the body and saw the head tilted to one side, the eyes wide open. And the pool of red gathering under it.

“Looks dead to me,” you said flatly.

A heavy sigh. “Congratulations! You just killed a giant.”

Confused, you turned to face him. “You chopped the-”

“I cannot,” he interrupted with a fearful look on his face, “have killed that giant. I never left the castle in the sky. I died up there.”

Right. Rumplestiltskin. If that fae knew that Balthazar was free… who knows what would happen.

You nodded. “I killed the giant.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a happy ending.

Your mother hadn’t been happy. The townsfolk hadn’t been happy. Come to think of it, no one was really  _ happy _ that a giant was dead, but a dead giant was a dead giant and people gave you a wide berth when you walked by.

You were safe, Balthazar was safe, and most importantly, your family was safe. Your mother wasn’t happy about a lot of things, but she was happy you were alive and well and that you had even made a friend!

You made certain to leave out a lot of the details of your exploits.

Almost dying several times in the past month gave you a different way of looking at the world, so you decided to visit the village and see your old friends there.

You wondered if your sailor friends would believe you when you told them about your travels. Had they known about merfolk?

Casually approaching the docks, you caught sight of something that made your stomach turn to stone and horror curl around your heart.

A group of sailors stood several yards away from a bundle of squirming fishing nets, laughing at something in their conversation, barely paying the nets any mind. Through the mess of brown ropes, green-golden scales flashed in the dying rays of the sun.

“Gabe!” You rushed over to him.

He looked up at you and his face immediately brightened. “Y/N!” he greeted happily as you ran toward him, “I was just thinking how I’d have traded all the silver and gold in my hoard to see you here in this moment!”

Going to your knees beside him, you gently placed a calming hand on his arm, “Let’s not get too excited here. Why are you caught up in this net?”

An embarrassed expression took over his face and he ducked his head slightly. “I, uh, wanted to see you. You know, make sure you were okay?” He laughed - a half-hearted laugh - and then cleared his throat. He flopped his tail uselessly and muttered, “Though I ended up in a bit of pickle, didn’t I?” 

Wrapping your fingers around the net, you tried to find the knots to free him. “Yeah,” you breathed, “yeah, you did.”

Nervously, he flicked his gaze up to the group of sailors close by and said, “I made it so they didn’t really see me… they think I’m a big fish and they don’t hear you or me.” Then he chuckled and looked up at you with sunlight in his eyes, banishing his nervousness and current predicament. “You kill that giant?”

You smiled. “Oh, yeah. Officially, that’s what I’m supposed to say. Truth be told, Balthazar was the one who did it.”

“I’m glad.” He twisted and flopped a bit to get on his back. He sighed, laid there for a moment, and then asked, “Hey, sugar? How do you feel about giving me that kiss now?”

Laughing, you pulled your knife from its sheath and sliced through the netting. “Patience, good sir, patience.” When all the ropes lay in a heap at his sides and Gabe pushed himself up to sit, you put your knife away, clapped your hands on his shoulders, and looked into his eyes. “You saved my life, Gabe. I know this doesn’t make us even, but I want you safe, okay?”

He nodded. You pulled him forward and kissed him. His skin was as cold as you remembered it being, but he was soft and calm and... loving. Cool fingers curled around the base of your skull and he sighed into your mouth.

The kiss was pleasant and you were almost sad when he pulled away. Then he stood up and straightened his vest.

You blinked. He hadn’t been wearing a brown vest with a white long-sleeved shirt and a cravat? He hadn’t been wearing trousers-

You blinked again and balked up at him.

Adjusting the links on his cuffs, he smiled to himself. “HA! Stupid fae. Shoulda known better than trying to punish a-”

“Uhhhhhh, WHAT?!” Gabe was standing. He was  _ standing _ . He had legs and feet!

He just winked at you.

“No, Gabe, WHAT? What is this, what- I don’t,” you gestured wildly at his new form and blinked up at him, “How? Why?” He had  _ shoes _ , where did he even  _ get _ shoes?!

He bowed theatrically and greeted, “My name is Gabriel, Messenger and Trickster, one of the four Eldest Gods.”

Your heart stopped and you froze. Gabriel.  _ Gabriel _ Gabriel. He saved you and Balthazar from drowning. He got you a ship to take you to shore.  _ He asked you to kiss him. _ Trickster God Gabriel. 

A myriad of questions swirled through your brain. Why did he help you out? Why was he a mer? Could he have changed back into his trueform at any time?  _ Why did he want you to kiss him?? _ How did he get captured in the first place?

_ GABRIEL? _

But all that came out of your mouth was, “Yeah, okay,” in a barely-there, high-pitched tone. Your face grew warm and you cleared your throat. “You, uh… you were a mer? What- what was up with that?”

“Ah, well, see - I helped someone one time and was punished for it,” he confessed, sheepishly running a hand through his hair. “You know they’re gonna tell stories about you, right? Giant-killer?” He grinned and reached out a hand to you.

You scoffed and accepted his hand, pulling you to your feet. “I don’t doubt it. When was the last time anybody killed a giant?”

“When was the last time you’ve heard of a giant walking the Earth?”

… Good point.

“Would you like to see it?”

“Huh?”

“Do you want to come with me and see the world?”

You looked out over the bay, smelling the salty air and the cool breeze. You’d just gotten back from seeing the world- well, a portion of the world.

He snaked an arm around your waist and pulled you against his side. You exclaimed in surprise and wrapped your arms around his shoulders instinctively. His nose was inches from yours and his eyes twinkled as he grinned at you.

“Whaddya say, sweets? Wanna come fly with me?”

“What about Balthazar? I can’t just leave him here.”

“Oh, the invitation extends to both of you,” he waved dismissively, as if the idea of leaving Balthazar behind was an egregious offense.

You laughed. “Just promise you won’t drop me?”

He clicked his tongue and lifted his eyes to the sky in contemplation. “Well… I can’t promise that, sugar,” he answered gently, tapping the index finger of his free hand on your nose, “But I  _ can _ promise I’ll be there to catch you.”

You smiled and nodded. “Good enough for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey! Thanks for reaching the end!  
> I hope you enjoyed this - this was much lighter than 'Red, Red Riding Hood' and I had a blast exploring more of this world!


End file.
